Interviews

David Navarro and Martyna Sobecka are the founders of Zupagrafika, a creative studio based in Poland celebrating modernist architecture, design and photography in a unique and playful way. Since 2012 David and Martyna have been traveling, photographing and illustrating post-war modernist and brutalist architecture, especially in the former Eastern Bloc.

Over a decade ago I had come across Keith Loutit’s work, the Bathtub Series. It was his videos that piqued my fascination with tilt-shift lenses as a way to make the world look miniature. His unique work has parlayed him into creating numerous direct commercial campaigns globally and recently, he released his latest film, Lion City Rising.

Ishita Sitwala is an architectural & interiors photographer from Ahmedabad (Gujarat) in India. Her passion for architecture was borne by her father’s own keen interest in architecture and dissuaded her from following the family’s footsteps of becoming a doctor. Through architecture, photography came as a way of documenting the day to day life.

Roland Miller is a documentary and fine art photographer hailing from Chicago, Illinois. He has been documenting the various test and launch sites NASA and the United States Air Force had developed for the early space missions (Gemini and Apollo) for 30 years. Partway through this journey caught the attention of NASA that gave Roland unprecedented access to some of its projects.

Taran Wilkhu is a London based Interiors and Architectural photographer whom I had come across during the Zoomed In Festival. He has to be one of the most interesting photographers I have come across because his professional career has taken many different trajectories before finding his true calling.

DEL RIO BANI is an architectural photography duo based in Barcelona. Gael del Río and Luca Bani have been sharing their eyes and philosophy since 2017. They are both originally trained as architects, their understanding of architecture is imprinted in their work. Lines and forms converge into soft yet direct images that highlight the project’s qualities.

I had come across Nikolas Strugar by way of Andy Macpherson talking about Nikolas on his BAAM podcast when discussing architectural filmmaking. Nikolas is based in Brisbane (Australia) and looking at his LinkedIn page, and I was intrigued by how varied his career was and the diversity of skills he has picked up along the way, especially how he manages to fuse his various skills on projects.

Scandinavian brands like MENU have played a huge part in influencing my interior photography especially from styling and compositional perspectives. MENU has been one of my favourite brands not only because of their products but how cohesively they communicate their brand value visually.

In April, there was the ZoomedIn Festival in which a number of architectural photographers from around the world appeared as guest speakers. Many of them I had not heard of, and one in particular — UK based photographer/film-maker Jim Stephenson — immediately caught my attention. Jim was a former architectural technologist turned architectural photographer and now film-maker.

Nancy Da Campo is an Italian photographer specialized in architecture, interiors, and the built environment.  Educated as an architect, Nancy combines that experience with her passion for travel to chart a unique course within the architectural photography industry.  Previously based in London and Paris, and now location independent (more on that below), she has worked internationally with architects, interior designers, cultural institutions, tourism boards, as well as numerous brands.

Nicole England is a Melbourne (Australia) based Architectural & Interiors Photographer who, like many New Zealanders including myself, came to Australia in the early 2000s. Nicole is one of the most sought after photographers in Australia, you can always find her shooting across the country on some of the most high profile projects.

Hey world, meet Natalia Robert, a wonderful architect turned interiors photographer based out of sunny Southern California, by way of — well — all over the planet! Not only is her work catalog-esque, beautifully lit and styled sublimely, but Natalia is at her heart, an educator. Founder of The Grove Studio, she has taken on the beautiful mission of getting more Women of Color involved in Architectural Photography, which is frankly a field lacking in diversity.

Years ago when I first started exploring architectural photography as a career option, I had come across the work of Jeffrey Totaro on Arch Daily and was immediately fascinated with his gorgeous compositions and technical expertise. Hailing from Pennsylvania, his name is synonymous with the American architecture scene; he’s been photographing iconic architecture longer than most of us have been able to discern light from dark.

One of the best things about living in Australia is the plethora of opportunities available to truly pursue what you want and Martin Siegner is no exception. Martin came to Australia a few years ago as an architectural visualization artist and felt unfulfilled. With no plan B in place, he gave up his visualization career and started photographing architectural projects around Sydney for his own portfolio which quickly saw him working with some of the most prominent architectural firms in Australia.

Instagram seems like an endless pool of finding exceptional photographers and when by chance I came across Peter Molick’s profile, I was immediately enamoured by his very clean and crisp interiors photography and by his architectural art photography which has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale.

Throughout our careers we find photographers and artists who inspire us at a deep level, and I am so happy to be able to bring you an interview with one such photographer today. Christopher Payne, who was educated as and practiced as an architect, has long been one of my favorites not only for his prowess as an architectural photographer but as an embodiment of the personal project and its ability to bring incredible opportunity for pursuing one’s interests, exploring incredible places, and shaping your career into something entirely your own.

I absolutely love cycling, so when I think of Mallorca off the coast of Spain, the first thing pops into my mind is the winter training camps for all the professional racing teams. To be honest with you, I’ve never really made much of a connection between architecture and Mallorca — an island that is only 1,405 square miles.